Fitzsimmons, who travels the country teaching youngsters about nature, put on a puppet show in July to teach children about animals at Brukner Nature Center in Troy. He has written several books and developed children’s materials that explain animals to small children.
He is the son of teachers, which explains his interest in writing and illustrating children’s books. His mother was an English and elementary school teacher, and his father ran the Mansfield City Schools’ outdoor education program.
“Since he was an outdoor educator, I grew up with all kinds of animals in the house — snakes, turtles and lizards,” he said. “And since my mom had a strong interest in children’s literature, I would go every year to the largest conference on children’s literature at Ohio State to see some of the greatest authors in the country. So that’s how I became interested in teaching children about animals.”
Fitzsimmons earned his PhD in literature from Ohio State and was a tenured English professor when, last spring, he decided to follow his dream to become a published freelance author and professional photographer. As a representative of Sigma lenses, he travels all over the country putting on shows, workshops and photo exhibits.
“When I was a kid my parents would load up the whole family in our station wagon and we’d visit places all around the country, so that’s what I do today. Not only do I put on shows and workshops, but there are many interviews with newspapers, radio and television stations to promote my books. And my whole family gets involved,” he said. His 11-year-old daughter, Sarah, assisted with the Brukner program.
Often working with two other noted Ohio nature photographers, Art Weber and Jim McCormac, they put on photo workshops on Kellys Island, Mohican State Park and the Toledo Zoo.
To date, Fitzsimmons has published three books in the Curious Critters series: Curious Critters, which includes many Ohio animals; Curious Critters, Volume Two, which includes animals from around the country; and the latest, Curious Critters Marine, including some obscure animals even adults will be interested in seeing, such as the Hawaiian reef hermit crab, red lionfish, lined seahorse, the upside-down jellyfish, a hooded nudibranch, a painted frogfish and a blue lobster.
Not only does Fitzsimmons make the creatures pop off the page with his white backgrounds and special lighting, his books are written in a way that the animal tells its own story, thanks to a suggestion from the author’s brother.
“I was writing about each animal, pretty much just putting down the facts, but my brother, Tom, thought it would be better if I gave the animals a voice. It has worked out well,” Fitzsimmons said.
As the days go by, he is expanding his business and putting together more educational materials for young children. His next Curious Critters book will follow the life of a salamander.
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